Oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides biomass effect on the metabolism of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)

Sustainability issues arise when using fish oil and vegetable oils in fish feed production for aquaculture purposes. Microbial production of single cell oil is a potential alternative as a lipid ingredient in the production of fish feed. In this study, we replaced the vegetable oils with the oleaginous yeast R. toruloides biomass in the diet of Arctic char (S. alpinus) and investigated the effects on health and composition. Measurement of fish growth parameters showed a higher liver weight and hepatosomatic index in the experimental group of fish fed partly with yeast biomass compared to a control group fed a diet with vegetable oils. No significant differences in the lipid content of muscle and liver tissues were found. The fatty acid profiles in the muscle of both fish groups were similar while the experimental fish group had a higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acids in the liver. Histology of livers showed no significant difference in the number of lipid droplets. The size of hepatic lipid droplets seemed to be related to liver fat content. Quantification of metabolites in the liver revealed no differences between the fish groups while plasma metabolites involved in energy pathways such as alanine, 3-hydroxybutyrate, creatinine, serine, betaine, and choline were significantly higher in the experimental fish group

Oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides biomass effect on the metabolism of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)

Sustainability issues arise when using fish oil and vegetable oils in fish feed production for aquaculture purposes. Microbial production of single cell oil is a potential alternative as a lipid ingredient in the production of fish feed. In this study, we replaced the vegetable oils with the oleaginous yeast R. toruloides biomass in the diet of Arctic char (S. alpinus) and investigated the effects on health and composition. Measurement of fish growth parameters showed a higher liver weight and hepatosomatic index in the experimental group of fish fed partly with yeast biomass compared to a control group fed a diet with vegetable oils. No significant differences in the lipid content of muscle and liver tissues were found. The fatty acid profiles in the muscle of both fish groups were similar while the experimental fish group had a higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acids in the liver. Histology of livers showed no significant difference in the number of lipid droplets. The size of hepatic lipid droplets seemed to be related to liver fat content. Quantification of metabolites in the liver revealed no differences between the fish groups while plasma metabolites involved in energy pathways such as alanine, 3-hydroxybutyrate, creatinine, serine, betaine, and choline were significantly higher in the experimental fish group

Metabolic risk factors and risk of Covid-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Based on the epidemiologic findings of Covid-19 incidence; illness and mortality seem to be associated with metabolic risk factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the association of metabolic risk factors and risk of Covid-19. Methods This study was designed according to PRISMA guidelines. Two independent researchers searched for the relevant studies using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The search terms developed focusing on two main roots of "Covid-19"and "metabolic risk factors". All relevant observational, analytical studies, review articles, and a meta-analysis on the adult population were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was performed using the random effect model for pooling proportions to address heterogeneity among studies. Data were analyzed using STATA package version 11.2, (Stata- Corp, USA). Results Through a comprehensive systematic search in the targeted databases we found 1124 papers, after running the proses of refining, 13 studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of obesity in Covid-19 patients was 29 (95 CI: 14-47). For Diabetes and Hypertension, these were 22 (95 CI: 12 33) and 32 (95 CI: 12 56), respectively. There was significant heterogeneity in the estimates of the three pooled prevalence without any significant small-study effects. Such warning points, to some extent, guide physicians and clinicians to better understand the importance of controlling co-morbid risk factors in prioritizing resource allocation and interventions. Conclusion The meta-analysis showed that hypertension is more prevalent than obesity and diabetes in patients with Covid-19 disease. The prevalence of co-morbid metabolic risk factors must be adopted for better management and priority settings of public health vaccination and other required interventions. The results may help to improve services delivery in COVID-19 patients, while helping to develop better policies for prevention and response to COVID-19 and its critical outcomes. © 2020 Moazzami et al

Sub-bandgap photoconductivity in ZnO epilayers and extraction of trap density spectra

Photoconductivity is observed in ZnO epilayers due to photoexcitation in the visible spectral region of 400–700 nm, below the ZnO bandgap energy of 3.4 eV. Photoconductive transients due to visible photoexcitation have time constants in the order of minutes. Treatment of the ZnO surface with SiO2 passivation layers results in a significant reduction in the photoconductive signal and photoconductive time constant. The photoconductive response is attributed to hole traps in ZnO, where a rate equation model is presented to describe the photoconductive characteristics. A method of extracting the hole trap density spectrum is presented on the basis of the rate equation model and assumptions for hole capture lifetime and carrier recombination lifetime that are validated by experimental time-resolved photoluminescence measurements of the material under study. Traps are found to be distributed near 0.75 eV and 0.9 eV from the valence band edge for SiO2 passivated and unpassivated ZnO epilayers, respectively.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48934/2/sst6_6_001.pd

Metabolic profiling of sourdough fermented wheat and rye bread

Sourdough fermentation by lactic acid bacteria is commonly used in bread baking, affecting several attributes of the final product. We analyzed whole-grain wheat and rye breads and doughs prepared with baker's yeast or a sourdough starter including Candida milleri, Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus plantarum using non-targeted metabolic profiling utilizing LC-QTOF-MS. The aim was to determine the fermentation-induced changes in metabolites potentially contributing to the health-promoting properties of whole-grain wheat and rye. Overall, we identified 118 compounds with significantly increased levels in sourdough, including branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and their metabolites, small peptides with high proportion of BCAAs, microbial metabolites of phenolic acids and several other potentially bioactive compounds. We also identified 69 compounds with significantly decreased levels, including phenolic acid precursors, nucleosides, and nucleobases. Intensive sourdough fermentation had a higher impact on the metabolite profile of whole-grain rye compared to milder whole-grain wheat sourdough fermentation. We hypothesize that the increased amount of BCAAs and potentially bioactive small peptides may contribute to the insulin response of rye bread, and in more general, the overall protective effect against T2DM and CVD.Peer reviewe

Treatment-related complications in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results of medical research council UKALL X

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoid neoplasms resulting from the proliferation of malignant lymphoid cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment-related complications in children with ALL receiving the Medical Research Council (MRC) UKALL X protocol. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, children with ALL receiving the MRC UKALL X protocol from 2008 to 2015 in Bahrami University Hospital, Iran, were enrolled. The clinical and morphological features were analysed and treatment-related complications were assessed. Results: Out of 67 children with ALL receiving the MRC UKALL X protocol, 44 (65.6 ) were boys and 23 (34.4) were girls. Seven patients (10.7) relapsed in the three years of diagnosis, and 50 children (74.6) had an overall survival of three years. Average age in three-year-survival group and mortality group was 6.92 (SD: 3.96) and 6.35 (SD: 7.47), respectively (P= 0.38). Conclusion: Overall survival and relapse rates in this study confirm that this protocol is an appropriate treatment strategy. © 2020, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Trends in ovarian cancer incidence in Iran

Background: Cancer is amajorcause of morbidityandmortality,amongwhichovarian cancer has a high incidenceandcase fatality. Gaining insight into the epidemiology and trends of ovarian cancer can be very influential in cancer screening and treatments programming. This study aimed to investigate the trends in the incidence of ovarian cancer in Iran, because this issue has been neglected so far. Methods: This study is a re-analysis of existing data from the cancer data recording system in Iran during the years 2003 to 2009. The incidence rates reported were standardized according to the world health organization (WHO) and the trend in the incidence of this disease was determined by STATA software and the significance of the morbidity trend diagram was also derived via WINPEPI software. Results: The statistics of cancer registry center shows an increasing trend of ovarian cancer from 2003 to 2008, while it decreased from 2008 to 2009. During this period, 6078 cases of ovarian cancer were registered in Iran, increasing from 591 cases in 2003 to 1077 in 2009, which shows an approximately 2-fold increase in the incidence of registered cases. During these seven years, the highest incidence rate was seen in Markazi province with 6.33 per 100,000 persons and the least in Kohkiloye-va-Boyerahmad province with zero incidence. Almost all provinces, except a few, had increasing incidence of ovarian cancer. Conclusions: According to the results of the study, the incidence of ovarian cancer is increasing in Iran, especially in the central and northwestern regions of the country. This increase may be due to changing the patterns of risk factors for this disease, such as changes in lifestyle in the population, which will lead to changes in the incidence of the disease. Hence, due to the increase in incidence of this cancer, it is recommended to implement screening and early detection programs in high risk areas and populations. © 2016, Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention

STAT3/LKB1 controls metastatic prostate cancer by regulating mTORC1/CREB pathway

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common and fatal type of cancer in men. Metastatic PCa (mPCa) is a major factor contributing to its lethality, although the mechanisms remain poorly understood. PTEN is one of the most frequently deleted genes in mPCa. Here we show a frequent genomic co-deletion of PTEN and STAT3 in liquid biopsies of patients with mPCa. Loss of Stat3 in a Pten-null mouse prostate model leads to a reduction of LKB1/pAMPK with simultaneous activation of mTOR/CREB, resulting in metastatic disease. However, constitutive activation of Stat3 led to high LKB1/pAMPK levels and suppressed mTORC1/CREB pathway, preventing mPCa development. Metformin, one of the most widely prescribed therapeutics against type 2 diabetes, inhibits mTORC1 in liver and requires LKB1 to mediate glucose homeostasis. We find that metformin treatment of STAT3/AR-expressing PCa xenografts resulted in significantly reduced tumor growth accompanied by diminished mTORC1/CREB, AR and PSA levels. PCa xenografts with deletion of STAT3/AR nearly completely abrogated mTORC1/CREB inhibition mediated by metformin. Moreover, metformin treatment of PCa patients with high Gleason grade and type 2 diabetes resulted in undetectable mTORC1 levels and upregulated STAT3 expression. Furthermore, PCa patients with high CREB expression have worse clinical outcomes and a significantly increased risk of PCa relapse and metastatic recurrence. In summary, we have shown that STAT3 controls mPCa via LKB1/pAMPK/mTORC1/CREB signaling, which we have identified as a promising novel downstream target for the treatment of lethal mPCa